A Tale of Two Hearts
by silverpelt2
Summary: A journey through the love between Lloyd and Sheena from the beginning! goes through normal timeline with changes to fit the romance, rated T for a bit of language and themes. please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Dear reader, I go by silverpelt and this is what I hope to the first chapter of a very awesome story. I will be focusing on the relationship between Lloyd and Sheena, as the two characters are meant for each other. What I plan to do is move in a chronological order in accordance to the game, using each scene involving the two. I will try to stick to the original dialog as much as possible, but I will change it enough, or add, to enhance the relationship in the way I view it should be. Also if there are any readers who have wrote their own pieces on Lloyd and Sheena, I might rip off of your stories just a tad, and by that I mean just taking maybe the plot of the story and sewing it into mine. Of course I will not completely copy; I will make it just how I interpret how it should go.**

**Sorry for all that talk, I felt it was necessary though, so without further delay, here is the main feature. **

Chapter 1

_Ossa trail _

It was morning the land of Sylvarant and a small group of travelers just made their way through a howling desert. They exited the desert by a small mountain path, hoping it would lead them over the mountains so they could continue their journey. Their journey was one that contained the lives of all living things; it was a journey to regenerate the world. Yesterday they had broke the first seal to the world regeneration; it was also at this seal that the Chosen One took her first steps down the path of becoming an angel.

As the group managed to make their way out of the harsh winds of the desert, a tall brunette with wild hair looked back on his group. This is Lloyd. A energetic seventeen year old armed with two swords on his waist. He was passionate, kind, and brave, and not the most intelligent, but he was strong. Even a bit reckless at times, throwing himself headfirst into danger, his only thought to keep his friends safe.

The first he looked upon was a man dressed in blue clothes. He had long, ragged hair, and fierce eyes. This was Kratos, a mercenary who only joined the group for money, and whose only purpose was to protect Collette, the Chosen.

"Chosen one, are you all right?" asked Kratos. He had only a hint of concern in his voice, he noticed that Collette was a bit red in the face. Probably from the suns relentless rays, he thought, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

"Oh!" Collette jumped a little at this question "I am just a little hot from the desert, that's all" she kept a cheerful face while she said all that. She didn't want to slow the group down because of her. She was always such a selfless person, she only cared about others, even when she was in pain.

"I think we are all a bit tired" said a white haired elf. Raine was her name. Or professor to Lloyd. Lloyd somewhat looked at her as a son looks to a mother. She was strict at times, but she was very caring and kind. "I think we could all use a little break, is that alright with you Kratos?" she asked turning towards the magic swordsman standing in front of her.

"I see no problem with it, just not too long, we should try to make it to town by nightfall." He answered.

Everyone sat down, taking sips of water as they passed around a canteen. Lloyd walked pass Kratos who was at the head of the group, and next to him he had his faithful companion, Noishe. He had been friends with his _dog _ever since he could remember, always walking with him through the forest from Dirks house to Isalia.

"Don't worry boy, we'll be in town in no time" Lloyd said, he patted Noishe on the head. Noishe then put his nose up, pointing it towards a little ledge with some bushes growing. Noishe barked loudly towards them. The rest of the group seemed to hear his bark, as they all stood up from their seated position and worked their way towards Lloyd.

"Knowing how sensitive Noishe is around monsters, that can't be a good sign." Said a younger, white haired elf. His name was Genis, brother to Raine, and Lloyd's best friend. Lloyd was really the reason to why he was in the group, after all together they got kicked out of their village and got into all sorts of trouble before they joined the chosen's group.

Up above, on the ledge, a lone assassin heard this bark that the beast made_. Finally, I've been waiting all day for these people_ she thought.

"Stop!" she said in a very stong voice. Not the normal voice she was used to speaking with, she needed to sound tough for the job she was about to do. She then jumped down to meet the group. Noishe backed away from the group, leaving Lloyd at the head.

"Is she a friend of yours Lloyd?" asked Collette in a very innocent sounding voice. She had a questionable look on her face_. I didn't think Lloyd had any other friends besides me a Genis_, she thought.

"Not that I'm aware of" answered Lloyd with as much question in his voice as Collette did.

"Is the Chosen of Mana Among you?" asked the dark haired assassin, keeping her strong voice and posture.

"Oh! That's me!" Collette said, she had much cheer in voice. Not knowing the intensions of the assassin, but even if she did, it would not darken her spirit

The assassin closed her eyes, and pulled out a couple of cards from her blue robes. Kratos placed his hand on his sword, but still not showing any emotion. Next to Kratos, Raine tightened her grip on her wooden staff she always carried. "Then prepare to d-, die" said Sheena, stuttering over the last word.

She ran forwards at the chosen. The chosen's reaction to this was attempting to back up but tripping over her feet and hitting a hidden lever on her way down to the ground. Lloyd was running towards Collette as this was happening, it was his job after all, to protect the chosen.

The lever activated a trap door that opened beneath Sheena as she almost face to face with Collette.

"Ah!" Sheena blurted as she began her decent down the dark hole. She began to fall, but felt a strong hand grab her by the wrist. Her fall stopped for the moment, as she looked up into a pair of chocolate colored eyes filled with feeling. He was on his stomach reaching into the hole, barely keeping himself from falling down.

"Lloyd what are you doing!" shouted Genis, "let go of her!" he didn't understand why Lloyd would even do something as stupid as rescue a person who was about to kill the Chosen.

"but she's going to-" replied Lloyd, with a surprised voice filled with question to why he had to let someone they had just met fall to their death. He then stared back into the eyes of the assassin. He saw a fiery heat in them, and something else, sorrow. _Who is this wom_- before he could finish the thought, the earth supporting him gave and he fell down the hole, along with the assassin.

There were many rotting roots growing out into the hole, and in less than a second, Sheena's head hit one. Lloyd, noticing this, pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, so she was above him and he would cushion her fall. Lloyd didn't even think while doing this, his caring instinct kicked in. his back was hit by rotted roots and he grunted a few times as they broke on his back.

Sheena, still conscious during their descent couldn't move, her body locked up the moment she began to fall. Then she felt a pair of arms pull her up and around her. She watched the light at the top of the hole fade as they fell, until they hit the bottom.

About an hour later, Sheena started to open her eyes. She felt a firm, cushion beneath her as she tried to stand up. A pair of arms was wrapped around back, noticing this she started to recall what happened. Her body didn't hurt, and finally noticing what transpired on her decent, she saw beneath her was a young man dressed in red with wild brown hair. His eyes were closed and his face told her he was unconscious. Sheena got and looked at the boy; they landed on a bed of dead branches and leaves, probably some that broke during their all into this unknown cavern. Gathering her bearings, she noticed a wet spot on some of the leaves beneath the young swordsman. _Blood! Damn, this is defiantly not what was suppost to should I d_o? She thought while she jumped into gear. Then she knew what she had to do_. Grandpa would scold me for doing this, but he did save my life…_

"Corrine!" she shouted, and a small burst of smoke appeared next to her and a small fox like animal was summoned. "Could you take watch while I fix this guy up?" she asked the small summon spirit.

"Sure, but who is that guy, and what happened?" asked Corrine in his tiny voice

"It's kinda a long story" Sheena replied while taking out an apple gel and some bandages from Lloyds pockets. "The assassination, well I guess you could say it fell through" she took of Lloyd's jacket, and saw a blood stain in his under shirt. She lifted his shirt up to apply the dressing, trying to avert her eyes from his muscled body that she was now in contact with.

After finishing bandaging his wound, which wasn't very serious, Sheena was seated on a rock next to the unconscious swordsman, trying to think of a way to get out of this situation.

"I can't just leave him here Corrine, but I have to kill the Chosen." Said Sheena with worry in her voice.

"You might not have another chance to do this Sheena, but the chosen may come looking for him, so maybe we could leave the cave with him and attack the group when they find him" replied Corrine. Sheena always looked towards Corrine for consol, he was her best friend after all, and her only friend she knew of.

"Okay, let's get out of here then" then she heard a rustle in behind her, and turned around. She saw the young man trying to get up. She rushed to his side, pushing him back down.

"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked in a weak voice, but she could still hear the concern in his voice.

"Why did you do that!" she asked, almost yelling. She had the same look in her eyes as she did right before she was going to kill the Chosen.

"Do what?" he asked, not recalling what had happened

"Catch me! You idiot!" she stood up after saying this. "Why did you save me?"

"I just- well- I" he got up, clutching his wound on his side. "I don't really know. Instinct I guess?" he said smiling, with a little enthusiasm in his words. Then, with his free hand, he went to rest his arm on his swords, but noticed they weren't around his waist. "Hey, where are my swords?"

"You're my prisoner, I don't want you to try anything stupid, so I took them" she stated. Lloyd then noticed they were on her back. She started looking around the cave that they were in, searching for a exit. She felt a current of wind and saw what looked like an exit.

"So, what's your -." Lloyd tried to ask before being cut off by Sheena

"Don't you get it? I was going to kill the chosen! Why would you save me? And now you're asking me what my name is?" yelled Sheena. Her face was angry, but hidden underneath it was sadness.

Lloyd's expression went completely serious after hearing her true motive. "You were going to kill the chosen?" his tone was dark and stern. If anyone threatened his friend's lives, he would protect them with his own. Sheena saw this in his eyes. She could tell that she was in a bad spot.

"Yes I was, now if you are done stating the obvious, follow me out of this cave" said Sheena

"I won't let you hurt my friends? You hear me?" shouted Lloyd. Lloyd's Exsphere began to glow brightly as the power washed over him. Sheena, seeing that she didn't want to fight Lloyd, quickly made a cutting attack to his neck with her hand. The force of this attack, and the correct position of it, caused Lloyd to lose consciousness. The Exsphere's light faded as Lloyd fell to the ground.

"Dammit, I really didn't want to do that." Said Sheena, leaning down to pick Lloyd up. "Damn you're heavy"

"Do you need any help Sheena?" said a tiny voice from behind her

"No I got him; just keep a lookout for the chosen's group, or monsters"

Sheena eventually made her way to a large gate in the cave. Light pierced though some crevices in the wood, signaling that they were almost outside. She still had Lloyd wrapped around her, and he was still unconscious. She set Lloyd down. Sheena then took out her set of magic cards, she then threw one towards the gate.

"Power Seal!" she shouted. The card exploded and the gate fell down. Sheena squinted as the sunlight washed over her. Her sight was still blurry when she heard a call.

"Lloyd!" she heard a young woman's voice call. When her eyesight readjusted to the outside, she saw none other than the chosen, and her entourage of companions. The blond haired one, the Chosen One, had a relived look on her face, the only one who seemed to care about the return of their mission companion. The rest had their eyes fixed on Sheena. Kratos drew his sword, his Exsphere lighting up as he did so. The rest also prepared themselves for the upcoming battle.

Sheena readied herself as well; she drew a single card out from her clothes, and threw it to the ground. It exploded into a cloud of smoke, and out from the smoke appeared a wind Guardian spirit. Sheena then lunged herself forward into the group to finish the fight she started.

Sheena was defeated. The battle was quick, Kratos proved to strong even for an accomplished guardian user such as Sheena.

"Ugh, I'll get you next time, just you wait!" she shouted as she burst into a cloud of smoke.

Lloyd regained consciousness soon after, with some help from Raine. He found his swords lying next to him. He got up and walked over to the group recovering from their battle with the assassin. A blond haired girl turned around and a face of relief washed over her face.

"Lloyd! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked relentlessly

"He seems fine" said Kratos coldly

"Who was that woman?" asked Genis

"I don't really know, but what I do know is she was trying to kill Collette, so I guess that makes her an enemy" said Lloyd, a hint of sadness was in his voice, but no one seemed to notice. _Something about her, she didn't seem evil, she looked…confused _though Lloyd.

The group decided it was best to keep moving, as they were sure to run into the assassin again. They made their way to a small port village. All the while their Lloyd was pondering his encounter with the assassin. He could never forget the eyes he saw as he was holding her from falling down the hole. They were clouded with so much emotion, and defiantly pain. Lloyd hoped he would see her again, and hoped that their encounter would be a little less, well, violent.

**End of chapter one. It seems a little short don't you think? Well I guess it was a pretty quick scene, I think future chapters will be longer. So please review and give me feedback! Even though this is my first time writing, please don't hold back on your criticism, everything will help! oh and I think I will need a better name for this story, any suggestions?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note****- I feel obligated to reply to the comments during my pre-story annotations. So here it goes**

**mikeofmind- the lack of sheloyd stories was the main inspiration to write this story, as I've read literally all of them here. Thanks for your support!**

**leastar- thanks for your encouraging words! I will defiantly continue writing! **

**DrakeDarkblade- my eyes are a little iffy when it comes to color, they enjoy mixing colors up, so thanks for the info on the costumes. As for the story, the last scene I didn't really have much to work with as it was a pretty short scene in regards to the game. I will try to paint more of a picture for the scenes in the future. As for combat scenes, I don't think I would be that good at writing them, so don't plan on seeing many of them ( but I'll probably include Lloyd vs. Kratos, mythos vs. the gang, and most of the turning point battles, and I can't forget volt, I have plans to make that scene very romantic). I guess I should try to write a battle scene to see how well I do, but I don't think this scene will have a fight, but who knows.**

**That's all done, now onto the story. This next scene will be the one in Luin, then the air seal. I'm skipping Palmacosta and the human ranch there because there is no Sheena there, besides the small scene with her at the water seal. (I really hated how Lloyd said "I'm just noticing how cute you look" he sounded like Zelos)**

**Sorry for this being so long, I apologize.**

**So before I begin, here is a disclaimer that I forgot in the last one**

**I do not own Tales of Symphonia, I am using it for fan purposes only**

Chapter 2

_Luin_

It has been a couple of weeks since the beginning of the journey of world regeneration, and about a week since Lloyd's encounter with a certain unknown assassin with kind eyes. But in all their weeks of travel and fighting, they had not had much of a break. So after doing a little investigating at Asgard, finding out where the next seal was, they stopped their search at a large port city. They planned on taking the day off to relax, shop, and have a little fun.

The group entered the city by means of a very nice looking wooden bridge. They immediately they could hear the sounds of a bustling city. They could hear orders being yelled by the docks, the voices of shoppers at the market, and the sound of children playing. The group stayed silent as they took in the beauty of the city, it was so normal. Not as big as Palmacosta, but it had great potential to become just as grand.

The group stopped at the closest Hotel. They gathered around it for a little meeting. Everyone had a smile on their face, as the city had that effect on newcomers; even Kratos' face had something that resembled a smile. Raine was the first to speak.

"Okay, so this is where we will be staying. I'll get three rooms, one for me and Genis, one for Kratos and Lloyd, and one for Colette. Today is for relaxing, we've been journeying for weeks now, it's time for everyone to take a break, even you Kratos."

"Humph" Kratos replied, while looking away from the group

Raine smiled at his reaction. She continued "explore the city, but don't go outside the city. And try not to get into any trouble" the last bit of her talk was aimed at Lloyd who was more focused on the city than Raine.

The group separated after this. Raine and Kratos went inside the Hotel to pay for the rooms and put down their equipment. Outside, Colette approached Lloyd, with Genis right behind her.

"Hey Lloyd, me and Genis were going to a nice place in the shade to relax, want to join us?" she asked the tall brunette. Colette always had cheer in her voice, and even more when it came to Lloyd. But recently, Lloyd hasn't showed her the same happiness. He knew something was wrong with her that she wasn't telling the group. This hurt him, she was one of his oldest friends, and she didn't trust him enough to tell him what was wrong. After this little thought in Lloyd's head, he turned to face her.

"You guys go on ahead; I'll catch up with you later" he replied, he then put a hand to his stomach as it rumbled a bit. He looked down and smiled. At this action, Genis put his hand to his face and sighed.

"Geez Lloyd, putting food in front of your friends" he said with a bit of sarcasm. Genis didn't seem to mind not hanging out with Lloyd, although, Collette was defiantly disappointed.

"Come on Genis, you know how I get when I'm hungry. I'll just catch up with you guys later" replied Lloyd. The two then turned around and started to walk off. Lloyd stayed where he was for a moment before hearing the faint sound of Colette's voice through the crowd. He looked over the crowd of people and saw Colette waving at Lloyd. Instinctively he waved back. It's not that he didn't want to hang out with his friends; he just wanted a little time to himself, surely they could understand that.

Then Lloyd began his exploration of the grand city. He started by heading towards the docking area, hoping to find something to rid his hunger. Lloyd walked through the rows of houses, noticing everything about them, their color, shape, size. Each house was different in its own way, much like how the houses were in Iselia. To Lloyd, Luin seemed like a much larger version of Iselia, and he like that a lot. it had a feeling of home everywhere he walked.

After his short walk across a wooden crossing, Lloyd arrived at the docking area. The first sight was rows of mighty ships lined up neatly. Warships, merchant ships, it didn't matter; it was a majestic sight to behold. Lloyd saw sailors moving cargo to and from each of the ships. he also saw on another ship, see the sailors roll down the massive canvas as they prepared to set sail out of the port.

After Lloyd took in all the sights to behold in the port, his other senses were on alert. Lloyd caught a smell of something, and it smelled delicious. Looking around, he saw a little vender with a grill in front. It was occupied by an older man who looked cheerful, energetic, and quite robust. Lloyd weaved his way in and out of shoppers as he made his way to the vender, who seemed to have noticed Lloyd's approach.

"Why, hello my new friend!" said the jolly vender in a powerful voice. "Care to try one of my fine dishes?"

"It all smells so good! Could I have you most popular item?" Lloyd asked with equal excitement. The man took a kabob off of his smoking grill and handed it to Lloyd. He Paid for it, and took a bite off the skewer. "Oh man, that's really good" Lloyd said with his mouth full.

"My friend, you seem like a traveler, so may I ask you a question?" asked the clerk

"Sure" asked a puzzled Lloyd, still chewing his food

"Have you seen any Desians around here?" he asked, in a rather dark tone. This question startled Lloyd a bit, as his face turned from happy to serious the moment he heard the word Desian.

"No, why?" Lloyd replied

"Well, there have been rumors of a human ranch close by, but no one has seen it. And some even have gone to search for it, and sadly, they have not returned. Just be on your guard while you are on the road my friend." Said the vender

"thanks for that tip" replied Lloyd. He said his farewells to the vender and continued his exploration of the city. While he walked out of the docking area, he thought _I better tell Kratos and Raine about the ranch; maybe we could destroy it like the last one and free this town from the Desains. But that can wait until later, there's still so much to see_. His smile returned after getting the thought of Desians out of his mind.

Out of the dock, Lloyd saw a fountain in the distance. Wanting to get a better look, he started to walk over to the area. Lloyd crossed another stream by a wooden bridge, much like the one at the front of town. As he moved closer to the fountain, he could hear voices of children clearer and clearer. They were pleading for something. Now Lloyd was almost next to the fountain, he saw a group of children crowded around a taller figure. She was a woman, wearing purple clothes with black pants which tried hard to hide her womanly curves, but failed to do so. Lloyd then heard this woman speak up

"Alright fine!" she giggled "I'll be it this time!" she had a very happy ring to her voice. Lloyd now recognized this woman; she was the assassin back at Ossa trail. The same one that Lloyd risked his life to save. The same one with kind eyes that were clouded by sorrow.

"Yay! Everybody hide!" yelled one of the children. The rest of kids ran out in different directions trying to find a hiding spot. Sheena's eyes were closed and she started counting. Lloyd moved around in front of her, although she did not seem to notice who it was that was facing her

"…ten! Ready or not here I…." she said, until she opened her eyes to find a certain swordsman standing in front of her. He was not angry, or and look of violence. Rather, he seemed happy about something, as he had a slight grin on his face.

"So you really are a nice person after all" Lloyd stated, with a tone of relief in his voice

"What?" she was taken back by this. She blushed a bit before answering "d…don't think saying things like that will change anything!" she turned her back to Lloyd, and ran away. She ran towards a bridge which led out of the town.

"Wait!" Lloyd yelled. He ran after her, although quite a distance behind her. He crossed the bridge and he was outside the city, and not even remembering the warning to not leave the city. Lloyd saw the assassin run into a nearby forest, Lloyd followed.

Lloyd dodged low hanging branches as he ran through this forest, but he lost sight of the woman a while back, but he continued onward. He soon found his way out and into some area of the forest that was treeless. The opening was shaped as a circle, and not very large. Lloyd halted and sighed.

"Damn, I only wanted to talk to her." he said quietly to himself

"Don't move!" said a voice. Lloyd darted his eyes across the trees, but could not find the source of the voice. "Why did you follow me?" said the hidden assassin.

"I just want to talk; I want to understand why you are after us. If you don't believe me then here" Lloyd took his swords off his belt and threw them in front of him.

"You just want to talk huh?" said the woman. She was now behind Lloyd "fine, just don't make any sudden movements, or I'll take your head off"

"Whoa, okay" replied Lloyd raising his hands in a defensive gesture. He turned slowly around to meet this woman. She had one of her hands resting on her hip, and she had a powerful look on her face. She wasn't someone Lloyd would think of messing with. He looked into her eyes and saw the same thing he saw when he was holding her from falling to her doom. Kindness and sorrow. Lloyd smiled; finally he spoke up "so what's your name?"

"Give me your name, and I shall give you mine" she replied, switching her hands on her hip.

"My name is Lloyd" he said smiling, noticing she said the same line Lloyd liked to use. He then gestured with his hand for Sheena's turn.

"Um, my name's She...Sheena" she said while looking at the ground, and while rubbing her arm with her hand

"You can ask a question if you want ill answer" Lloyd said, proposing a question exchange idea

"Fine" her gaze turned from the ground to Lloyd's large chocolate eyes. His eyes had a dormant fire in them, she could tell that. "What is your affiliation with the chosen of Sylvarant?"

"With Colette?" Lloyd thought for a moment "Well, we sort of grew up together, and we've been going to school with each other for most of our lives"

_Jeez, the chosen's bodyguards are her classmates?_ Sheena thought her eyes wondered beyond Lloyd and into the forest. Then Lloyd asked another question.

"So, how do you fight with those pieces of paper? When I saw you fighting Kratos, he even seemed a little surprised that you could do so much cool stuff with just a card" Lloyd asked.

"Heh, it's a secret art, if I told you I'd have to kill you" she stated. Sheena was slowly warming up to Lloyd during this conversation, a bit too much for her liking. After all, they were enemies.

"Jeez, it seems like no matter what I do you're always going to have to kill me" Lloyd said with sass. Sheena laughed at the stupid joke, but quickly slapped her hand against her mouth to silence her sudden change in mood.

"What was that?" Lloyd joked. He had a grin on his face from finally getting through to her stubbornness. Sheena blushed furiously while still covering her mouth.

"Shu-shut up!" she blurted, whilst fumbling with her words. Sheena then took a few steps backward and said "um, I have to go" before Lloyd knew, she turned around and sprinted into the forest.

"Wait!" Lloyd shouted, but it was too late. Sheena disappeared into the forest. Lloyd didn't follow her, there was no way to catch up with her. Lloyd turned around and began his walk back to Luin, while carrying a light smile on his face.

After a couple of minutes of running, Sheena found herself at a tiny creek in the woods. she stopped in her tracks, noticing Lloyd did not follow her. she slumped onto a nearby rock to ponder what just happened.

"What's wrong Sheena?" asked a tiny voice next to her. Sheena looked down and saw a tiny golden fox at her feet.

"I can't do it, I can't do it Corrine" she said

"It's because of that boy isn't it?" Corrine stated

Sheena nodded "he is just so sincere, he jumped in to save me even though he knew I was going to kill the chosen, and then he comes and chases me into the forest just to talk"

"You're getting a crush on him aren't you?" Corrine asked, making Sheena's face turn a bright shade of red.

"wha-! You don't know what you're talking about!" she turned her face to hide her blush from her friend. "I just don't think I would be able to bring myself to fight him…"

"But you can't abandon our home, right Sheena?" asked the little fox.

"I know" her face lost its blush and turned more serious "I guess I have no choice"

Sheena got up from the rock. Corrine jumped up onto her shoulder, and the two made their way out of the forest; and began their travels to the next seal, in hopes to ambush the chosen there. On her way there, Lloyd never once left her mind; his smile, his laugh, his eyes. If she asked him to help her save her world, he would probably say yes, but she couldn't do that to someone she had just met. But no easy way to save the world existed.

**Well there is chapter two. Sorry if it took longer than expected, it was a little hard to write. Trust me though, some of the other scenes should be a lot easier to write and should be done in no time. So please review, tell me how I'm doing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note- okay, so this chapter was really hard to write, as it isn't a very big scene, so sorry for the delay. **

**Thank you for all the reviews! They are all very kind, I'm glad that people like my story, it gives me all the more reason to finish it. (Also with the fact that there are no new stories being written about Lloyd and Sheena)**

**And a personal thanks for the review by Maurice A. Nigma, I really appreciate your review, it means a lot to me.**

**Calming-seas88- I do plan on doing some sort of wrap up after the official cannon ends, like how the two will live the rest of their days, or something. But other than that I don't plan on doing any more than the main story.**

**And one more question to the readers. I feel I should rename this story, because I really didn't put any thought into the current title. So as for a new title, any advice?**

**Now that's out of the way, here is chapter 3, **

Chapter 3

_Balacruf Mausoleum_

"Fierce Demon Fang!" shouted Lloyd as he channeled the Mana from his Exsphere into his twin blades and slammed them into the ground, causing a shockwave. The attack was aimed at a summoned Guardian, summoned by none other than the mysterious female ninja. The attack pushed the guardian back quite a bit, leaving it open for a finishing attack. "Genis, now!" Lloyd looked back to see his small elf friend casting a spell.

"Freeze Lancer!" shouted the elf after finishing his incantation. Hundreds of sharp ice spears shot towards the unsuspecting Guardian. The shards of sharp ice shot through the creature, causing it to be pinned against a wall. The guardian slumped in place and dissolved into sparkling Mana fragments.

On the other side of the fight, Sheena was barely keeping up with Kratos. Her seal spells were strong, but they weren't enough to battle against a powerful magic swordsman. Collette was next to Genis, her sparkling wings were out. To most eyes she was simply praying, but she was preparing a holy attack, one that she gained through her hard Angel trials.

"…I beg of you to reveal thy glory… Angel Feathers!" Colette cast a trio of glowing Chakrams which shot towards Sheena. Kratos jumped out Sheena's area to give Collette's attack a clear shot. Sheena Saw the Attack, but was too weak from the fighting to evade, she had to think fast or she would fail a second time at assassinating the chosen.

"Shit...Guardian Seal!" she shouted, and a glowing shield formed around her, deflecting the angelic attack, but leaving Sheena depleted of her Mana. She was pushed back and now all eyes were on her. Lloyd hesitated, he couldn't fight her, he knew she wasn't evil. So Lloyd stopped in his tracks. The group halted their attack, seeing that Sheena was unable to continue.

"why…why can't I win" Sheena complained while breathing heavily.

Genis shot his fist up in the air as a gesture of their victory "goodness and love with always win!" he said victoriously. Lloyd sighed, putting his band to his face.

"Genis, please don't bring up that stupid Dwarven vow" after saying this, he brought his attention back to the defeated assassin.

"Goodness?" Sheena said, confused by the vow "what do you mean goodness? If you're good. I'm good as well!"

Lloyd was taken back by this, "what are you saying, that doesn't make any sense"

"what do you know?" she snapped "when you regenerate the world, my country will be destroyed!" Raine's eyes lit up at Sheena's statement. Something long forgotten was brought back into her mind "I won't let that happen…I can't let that happen"

Collette, confused at all this, tried to clarify, she asked "wait, what are you talking about? If I regenerate the world, everyone will be saved…right?"

"_This_ world will be saved!" she shouted, before running off. Lloyd tried to run after her, but she was too far ahead to catch her.

"Stop! Who are you? So you're not alone?" asked Raine. She still had the lingering thought of what was said.

Lloyd turned to the group; he had a puzzled look on his face. "This world? What did she mean?" he had so many questions in his head it almost hurt him.

"It would be best if we get out of here" stated Kratos. He was unusually quiet during this whole ordeal, not even surprised upon hearing the assassin's words. Lloyd did not seem to notice this odd behavior, as Kratos was always quiet. Kratos turned around and walked towards the light of the entrance, and soon the rest followed. Lloyd did not know what to think of this assassin; she tries to kill Colette, but then say she is on the good side. Lloyd could only keep on wishing that he might encounter her again, maybe try to understand her.

"hey, were are we going to be headed next?" Lloyd asked as they walked out of the temple. He was curious as to how much longer this journey was going to take, knowing Lloyd, he was already bored.

Raine spoke up "I think it would be best that we go back to Luin, we should inquire about the seal at the church there" upon hearing the word Luin, a smile grew on Lloyd's face. _Maybe Sheena will be there again!_ He thought with enthusiastim

"hey Lloyd, what are you so happy about?" asked Genis, who was walking next to Colette, who also seemed interested about Lloyd's mood.

Lloyd never told anyone about his encounter with Sheena in the forest, Kratos wouldn't care for it one bit, and neither would Raine. "It seems like a great day today, doesn't it?" replied Lloyd

"whatever" replied the elf. Obviously not understanding his friend.

_Luin_

After camping out in front of the Balacruf Mausoleum due to the chosen coming down with another case of angel toxicosis, the group made their way to the city of Luin for further investigation of the next seal. A bird's eye view of the city told Lloyd that something was wrong, very wrong. There was thick black smoke rising from the many houses. All the ships were burning, or half submerged in the water. The group was still quite a distance from the city, and Lloyd wondered if the rest of his group noticed the smoke as well.

"Something has happened to luin," Lloyd asked out loud.

"I see it as well, what could have caused this?" Raine added. She turned her head to face Kratos to see what he had to say about this.

"The city appears to be deserted" Kratos said, indicating that it would still be safe to go there "we would possibly find some answers if we investigated. Is that what you wish chosen one?"

Colette's face was serious and stern, she couldn't just watch as people and citys were burned to the ground "yes, we need to find out who did this and stop them" the group quickened their pace to make it to the city of ruin. Lloyd thought _it was probably those damn Desians, this city isn't strong like Palmacosta, they couldn't defend themselves_. Lloyd's hatred burned the rest of the way to the city; it already seemed like another Isalia, he couldn't let it get worse.

The group finally made it to the entrance of the city, they were all speechless. The city was a complete disaster, a massacre.

"This is…"Lloyd started, but could not find the words to describe the nature of the event.

"…Terrible" Colette finished, she was almost crying, she had never seen such destruction in her life. Her heart ached for all the people who died, who died… she didn't see any bodies, not a one. Raine also seemed to notice this.

"There are no bodies, what could have happened?" the white haired teacher asked. Lloyd closed his eyes and faced the ground, hoping to hide his emotion.

"It was probably the Desians" he said whilst clenching his fist "those damn bastards…"

"It could have been anyone" Kratos said "we need have evidence before we jump to conclusions" even though he said this, he knew in his mind that it was the Desians who did this, and he knew which ones…

The group remained silent as they walked through all the wreckage. They made their way to the town square, were the fountain was. Lloyd saw a familiar person on their knee, breathing heavily, and surrounded by dried blood. _Sheena_ he thought. The group halted, and all looked at the crouching assassin.

"You" accused Genis "now you're even over here?" Lloyd ignored Genis's hostility and approached the wounded girl

"What happened?" he asked, without the hostility that Genis had in his voice. "You're badly wounded"

"Oh, it's you guys" Sheena forced out. She took a deep breath "if you want to finish me off, now's your chance. I don't have any strength left to fight" Colette walked forward, and quickly examined the wounded assassin.

"You're hurt badly" she stated, then turned to face Raine "professor please, heal her"

'I will, but first, I want you to tell me what happened here" said Raine "it seems she has companions, and this might just be a trap to catch us off guard" Sheena looked up and met Raine's gaze

"heh, you're as devious as you look" Sheena said coldly

"Call me what you like" replied Raine

"Take a look at this city, everything's in ruin, the Desians…" she took a breath "Invaded. Do you know about the human Ranch northeast of here? The people of this city had been hiding some folks who escaped from the ranch. The Desians found out about it, and not only was the entire population forced to go to the ranch, but the city was destroyed"

Lloyd spoke up "but, how were you injured?" he asked

"It's nothing, I was just a little clumsy" she replied, she felt the swordsman's gaze on her and knew his was worried. _Why is he worried about me_? She thought. But then a voice cried out in the distance, a priest was running from a monster. Sheena got up and ran to confront the monster. Lloyd noticed the monster, and what was familiar about it. He remembered, Clara, the Governors wife.

"That's!..." Lloyd said out loud

"Its Clara, she managed to get all the way here!" Raine stated. Sheena drew her cards and got into a fighting stance.

"Stay back, you monster!" she shouted. Clara raised her hand and hit Sheena hard. It projected her across the ground.

"Sheena!" Lloyd shouted, and ran over to her. He crouched over her body, she was nearly unconscious, but still holding on. He put one hand behind her head, and the other behind her back, then gently lifted her up. Her eyes were closed, and her face was riddled with pain. "come on, stay awake! You're going to be fine"

Sheena slowly opened her eyes and saw a pair of brown orbs in front of her. Every movement she made caused pain to rush to every part of her body. She took a second to gather what was happening; she heard a girl's voice trying to calm the monster that attacked her, but only heard mumbling. She then brought her gaze back to the swordsman, and noticed he was sincerely worried. "why are you helping me?"she asked weakly

"Probably for the same reason you helped that man" Lloyd said, he brought his attention back to her wounds, and since the monster was gone, Raine could help her. "Raine, please heal her!"

"Professor, please!"Colette added,

"Fine" Raine agreed "but I swear, you are all too softhearted for your own good" she walked over to the fallen assassin that Lloyd was holding, and placed her glowing staff on her. the wounds on Sheena's body closed up, and the bruises faded. When Raine was done, Lloyd helped the assassin up on to her feet.

"Th-thanks" Sheena said quietly. Then then bought her gaze to the group, "I know it is a selfish, unreasonable thing to say at this point, but um… I have a favor to ask of you." The group seemed want to hear her out, and let her continue "I owe the people of this city for food and lodging. Please, help me save them. If you agree, then ill declare a truce and help in any way I can"

"All right" Lloyd said without hesitation

"Lloyd are you serious?" asked Raine, trying to point out Lloyd's fault

"I agree with Lloyd" added Colette

"Colette, not you too" Raine said "what about Kratos, how do you feel about this?" she asked, trying to add someone to her side

"I see no problem with it" he stated.

"Fine, do as you wish" Raine said, then thought for a moment " I suppose if you look at it another way, it does mean that we can keep an eye on her"

"Thank you, all of you" Sheena said, trying to put her gratitude into words.

"Now, I suppose that's all settled, shall we head to the human ranch then?"Asked Kratos, with urgency in his voice

"ya, those Desians are going to pay!" added Genis clenching his fist. The group began walking towards the exit. Lloyd and Sheena were at the back to the group, and as Lloyd took a step to follow the rest, he felt someone grip his arm. He turned to see what it was. He saw Sheena holding gripping his arm, and facing the ground.

"whats wrong?" Lloyd asked. Sheena tilted her face up to meet the brunette,

"you have treated me with nothing but kindness," she said "and I haven't shown you any in return, and I would like to truly apologize, I am really sorry"

"Hey, don't worry about it" he replied, a smile formed on his face, one that caused Sheena to smile a bit. "You probably had your reasons for it. Now, are you coming or what?" her face lit up at his enthusiasm. She let go of his arm, and walked up beside him. And together, they walked to the group. And they stayed at each other's side for the entire trip.

**There we have it, chapter 3! Finished this 7 minutes into the New Year. Like I said above, this was kind of hard to write, as it wasn't the most impressive sheloyd scenes. i can't wait until I get to write the flanoir scene; I have soooo many ideas for it and I think it will be very very very romantic! So sorry for the delay again, and please review (and be gently, I'm still new at this)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note: I'm really really sorry for the long delay, I've been in the middle of finals week for school and I haven't found the time, or much inspiration to write. So once again I apologize (please don't hate me). As for story problems, this next scene is during the whole Asgard human ranch. Not much shelloyd going on here, but I think I'll manage something.**

**I can't thank everyone enough for all the great reviews I have received, they are all so wonderful and they give me the power to keep on writing! So thanks everyone!**

**I keep on forgetting but here is a disclaimer- I do not own Tales of Symphonia, I am only using the characters and story for purely fan purposes **

**Now onwards! The story awaits!**

Chapter 4

_ Asgard Human Ranch_

The sounds of clanking machines and other sounds of industry filled the air as the chosen's group moved through the Asgard human ranch. As an agreement to their new member, Sheena, the group infiltrated the Ranch to save those who had been taken there. The group fought past a couple groups of guards; nothing compared to the combined strength of Lloyd and Sheena. In the short time that Sheena was part of the group, she and Lloyd had been almost inseparable. The two fought next to each other; their attacks complimented by each other. The two formed a deadly team; Lloyd, with his bezerk strength, would distract an enemy, while Sheena would swiftly take the distracted opponent down with a couple of seal spells. The two even created a tag team move; Sheena would create a large power seal that Lloyd would charge through, gaining immense power in the process, and slice through anything that got in the way. The creation on this took virtually no time at all, as the two created a bond with each other that the rest of the group wasn't aware of. And of course, with Lloyd's dense mind, he did not see the powerful bond that he created, although, he knew something was there, he just did not know what it was.

The group moved quickly through the ranch, eyeing all that could be seen inside as they went. They saw that this was an Exsphere manufacturing plant, something that they all were curious about. The group ran into a dead end, but something caught their attention that caused them all to stop completely. Above, behind a glass window, there was a conveyor belt moving prisoners across it. The prisoners disappeared behind a piece of machinery, and on the other side, came a glass box, with an Exsphere inside.

The entire group was astonished by what they were seeing. "wha…what is this" Lloyd asked, trying not to believe what he was seeing. The rest of the group was speechless. Then they heard clanking footsteps behind them, and heard a not so familiar voice.

"This is where the Exspheres are removed from the host bodies" said the half elf behind the group. Two guards were standing next to him, waiting impatiently for orders to kill the intruders. Raine turned her eyes from the exspheres and toward the unfamiliar person standing before them.

"You mean that exspheres are made from…human bodies?"She asked hesitantly. The rest of the group turned their gaze towards the man standing before them, waiting for his answer.

"Not exactly" he answered with amusement, he was going to find it fun to shed light on their ignorance "Exspheres are dormant at first; they extract nourishment from humans to grow and awaken. Human ranches are Exsphere manufacturing plants. Why else would we spend our time raising and taking care of these inferior beings?"

"That's terrible!" Genis replied

"Terrible?" Kvar asked "terrible is what you've done. Stealing and using exspheres that we've invested so much time and care in creating. You deserve to be punished" then, a couple more guards came, they then formed a formation to block the exit from the group.

"Damn, were surrounded!" cried Lloyd in frustration

"Lloyd, your Exsphere was to be an offering to lord Yggdrasill" said Kvar " it's time you gave it back" he said with an added snap to his tone.

"Yggdrasill…" Raine said quietly "I suppose that's the name of your leader"

"Yes" Kvar replied "now for the sake of our great leader, lord Yggdrasill, and for the sake for my own success, I need that Exsphere!"

"Again!" Lloyd asked "what's so special about my Exsphere?"

"That is the result of years of time consuming research" answered Kvar "I can finally reclaim what was stolen by that filthy female host body"

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd asked, his anger rising "the female host body? You're not talking about…"

"Lloyd…" said Sheena quietly in an effort to calm him down, though Lloyd's eyes were locked on to Kvar. Sheena did not know much about Lloyd, but from this, she knew what happened to Lloyds mom. Living without a family was something that Sheena was too familiar with. She saw a cloud of emotions storm in his eyes: hate, anger, sadness. But of all the emotions that Sheena could see, she did not expect one. Fear.

"hmm, you don't know anything do you?" replied Kvar, frustrated that he had to explain everything "That Exsphere was cultured on host body A012, human name Anna – your mother. She took it and escaped from the facility. Of course, she paid for her crime with her life"

Lloyd clenched his fists tightly, and his Exsphere even started to glow. "you killed my mo-" Kvar cut him off before he could finish

"Oh I'm not the one who killer her, your father did" corrected Kvar "when her key crest-less Exsphere was removed, Anna turned into a monster…and your father killed her." he laughed a bit before continuing, somehow finding the subject humorous "Pathetic, don't you think?"

"Do not speak ill of the dead" commanded Kratos with more emotion that anyone has seen on the whole trip.

Kvar was at a full laugh after what was said, furthering to enrage Lloyd with the story. The rest of the group found this story to be immensely sad, and disgusted at how cruel Kvar was. "Who cares? They were both just a couple of filthy humans"

Lloyd's anger finally surfaced; fueled from the years without knowledge of his parents, he let it all come to the surface. "Don't you ever talk about my parents like that!" with this said, Kvar ordered with is hands to retrieve the Exsphere from Lloyd. The Desians whom had surrounded the group moved in closer, preparing to strike. Lloyd reached for his sword on his hip, but a hand stopped him from drawing his weapon. Lloyd traced the hand up to the face of Sheena. She looked at Lloyd with a look of understanding, along with those kind emerald eyes of hers.

"I'll handle this" she said coolly and calmly. She pulled out a different looking card from her usually deck. Looking down upon it, she mumbled something to it "I'm gonna use the last one grandpa…" then she threw the card onto the ground in front of her. A cloud of smoke burst from the card, and a figure appeared. It was one of the guardians that Sheena had used against the group. The Desians were thunderstruck from the giant Guardian now before them. Before any of the Desians could react, it let off a magical glow that surrounded the chosen's group, causing them to disappear.

The group appeared outside of the ranch, far away from the view of any Guards. Collette spoke up. "Thank you Sheena" she said

"Don't mention it, but what should we do now?" Sheena asked

"let's return to Luin first" Raine suggested. Collette nodded at the idea

"I concur" said Kratos, with his usual voice. Lloyd remained quiet, his face was down, and his mind elsewhere. The group left quickly from the vicinity of the Ranch.

_Luin_

The group had arrived in the burned out city of Luin. The trip was uneventful, nothing unusual, and Kratos noticed that they were not pursued; signifying that the Desians focus was elsewhere. Night was almost upon the group, so they set up a small camp along with a warm fire. The group stood around the fire silently, each holding their Exsphere in their hand, with the exception of Kratos. Sheena was the first to speak

"I can't believe that Exspheres are made from human lives" she said quietly

"This is Marble's life" Genis said while staring at the small orb in his hand.

Lloyd raised the hand holding his Exsphere into the air, preparing to throw it away "arrgh! This…Thing!" he cried out in frustration

"Lloyd, wait" Collette said firmly, but kindly "what will you accomplish by taking that off? It's not just an Exsphere, it's also your mother's life, remember?"

"But these things make a mockery of human life" replied Lloyd with his frustration still in his voice

"But we would have lost long ago had we not had them" Kratos replied

"Don't you think I know that?"Lloyd snapped. His back was turned from the group, hiding whatever feeling he was exuding.

"Do you really?" Kratos asked "if you throw that Exsphere away now, do you think you can finish this journey?"

Lloyd pulled his had back towards his chest, and gazed at the orb in his hand. "Yeah, I know. Without these things we're just a bunch of weak humans. We can fight because we have these. I know that" Lloyd replied "but Exspheres exist as a result of taking someone's life!"

Raine removed her gaze from her Exsphere, "those people didn't become victims because they wanted to, but I doubt they would want to be thrown away after being turned into expsheres" she said

"My opinion may not matter much because I don't use an Exsphere" Collette added "but I believe the Desians will defeat us f we throw away our exspheres now. And If that happens, more people will lose their lives to these stones." Her tone became more serious "I don't want that to happen, I don't want this journey to be meaningless"

"Collette's right." Said Kratos "we can throw away the Exspheres at any time. But right now, we must carry the weight of the hopes and dreams of those victims and fight for their sake, as well as ours. Didn't you say you weren't going to hesitate anymore?" the last part caused Lloyd to bring his eyes back up from the orb lying in his hand. He thought for a moment, then he closed his eyes and gripped his Exsphere in his hand.

"I just…I just need some time alone alright" he said calmly. Then he walked away from the group. Sheena had never seen Lloyd like this, he was always happy and had a smile on his face. she knew all too well the feeling that Lloyd had right now; living without parents for so long did bring lonely nights, and very depressing thoughts. But Sheena did not know what to do at this moment, she felt that she should go cheer him up, but she saw how Collette looked at Lloyd, almost in the same way Sheena looked at him. She had no chance against her. Sheena remained silent for a moment, after putting her Exsphere back on her key crest. Lloyd was out of sight, he went in the direction of the fountain area, the same area where she had met Lloyd for the second time. The rest of the group sat down near the fire, all silent. But Raine turned her gaze towards Sheena, and walked up next to her.

"Sheena, go and talk to him" she whispered "he is quite fond of you, he will listen to you"

Sheena nodded, and began walking towards the direction Lloyd went off to. She navigated around the rubble, and soon she was at the fountain. She looked around for a moment, searching for Lloyd, and saw at a intact bench, sat a brunette in red. He was resting his elbows on his knees, with his head down, and eyes looking into his hands. She slowly walked over to him. She sat down on the bench next to him

"Hey" she said quietly. Mentally cursing to herself for such a stupid entrance

He turned his gaze up, and sat up straight. "Hey" he replied in a sad tone. His gaze never met Sheena's, his mind was too distracted. Sheena studied Lloyd quietly for a moment before speaking up

"I'm afraid I'm a little envious" she said, her head was turned in front of her, staring at the broken fountain before them.

"What?" Lloyd asked, completely confused. He turned his gaze towards her, expecting an answer

"I guess I should explain myself" she giggled a little "um well, im a little envious that you have something to remember your parents by"

"What do you mean, are your parents…?" asked Lloyd, leaving out the last part of his sentence, as he didn't want to upset Sheena by asking

"Sort of" she replied. She knew what he had asked "well, I was abandoned as a child. I never knew my parents,"

"Sheena I didn't…" Lloyd said before being cut off by Sheena' hand

"I didn't expect you to" she said with a smile "but what I guess I'm trying to say is…if I were you, I wouldn't just throw something that belonged to my parents away, especially if that something was an Exsphere. I don't think your mom would want you to give up the journey just because of her"

"I guess you're right" replied Lloyd

"I think that every Exsphere would want to be used for good, to help save the world. Like what you and the chosen are trying to do." She added

"You're defiantly right. I've only been thinking of myself, I guess I've been quite selfish about this huh." He asked

"Lloyd it's understandable, it is your mother's life" Sheena said, trying to stop Lloyd from thinking that way

"Thank you Sheena" he turned his head to face her "really, thank you" he said with complete sincerity

"Don't mention it" she said, blushing slightly

"Hey, can I ask you something?"Lloyd asked. Sheena nodded in response "since you didn't have any parents growing up, were you ever…lonely?"

"Well, I was adopted, so I wasn't exactly without a family." She said. Lloyd nodded in understanding, showing that he was intently listening "but to tell you the truth," she gazed up towards the night sky " I always wished I had my parents, it was just something that was always missing from my life…what about you?" turning her gaze back to Lloyd. She felt a rush of relief, as though a weight has been lifted off her back.

"I feel the same way. Even though Dirk adopted me, it just felt like it was missing something." He answered. Then his tone changed "Sheena, when we finally fight Kvar, I want you by my side with me. Can you do that?"

"Lloyd, I would love to fight that bastard next to you" she said with enthusiasm

"Really? You know, I think we make a pretty great team, you and me" Lloyd said, his joy had returned. Sheena was successful in bringing him back. She sighed in relief.

"I think so too" Sheena smiled brightly

The two stood up from their seats, preparing to head back to the camp. But Lloyd had one more question. "Umm Sheena? Do you think that we could be friends? You and me?" he asked nervously. He scratched the back of his head while asking this

"You want to be friends…with me?" she asked, emphasizing the last part.

"Why not? You are really nice, and kind, not to mention awesome" he replied

"You think so?" she asked looking into his eyes, searching for sincerity. She saw a young man who needed a good friend just as much as she did. Lloyd nodded at her question, and before he knew it, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Initially surprised by this, he returned the hug, "I'm sorry, it's just I don't have many friends" she said, with her arms still around Lloyd. Lloyd didn't mind at all, he in fact loved that he was so close to her. He felt a warm rush come across his body, and so did Sheena. The two stood there, with their arms wrapped around each other for a little bit, bathed in moonlight in the ruins of a beautiful city. Sheena couldn't have asked for more from Lloyd. She didn't even expect to get this far with him, so the idea of love wasn't completely out of reach.

After quite a bit of time holding each other, the two released their firm grip on each other. The two made their way back to the camp, ready to plan their assault on Kvar, ready to face anything that came their way, together.

**A/N -So how did everyone like it? I actually liked how this turned out, I really wasn't expecting it to turn out the way it did. But that's up to the reader! Please review and stuff! Thanks again to all those who read my story, every review brings my heart tons of joy. so please review so I can get better at writing! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note- first off, I must apologize for the huge delay, I did not forget or anything, I just have a lot of stuff going on in school. I have a huge research paper due sometime at the middle of March, so until then, my story will be slow in production. This is my only chance to write this month as it is a 3-day weekend, and what a better way to spend it writing about my favorite couple in the whole wide world! I feel like I apologize every time I write, what's up with that? I have to thank everyone for all their great comments, all you guys are wonderful and it makes me so happy that people like my story! Before I forget, I will be skipping the Asgard human ranch scene. Yeah… can't think of much to do there so please don't be mad at me if you were expecting a scene.**

Chapter 5

_Tower of Mana_

It has been almost a week since the fight back at the Asgard human ranch, and the group was well on their way to world regeneration. Lloyd felt lighter than he had been his entire life; after avenging his mother, a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders, one that had been on his back for most of his life. Although this feeling did bring some depressing moments; the group sympathized with Lloyd and let his off the hook from some of his chores, especially night watch. The ranch had been a growing experience for Lloyd, and the group's new companion Sheena. When the group decided that they had to split up, they chose Lloyd to pick the group to go after Kvar. Lloyd's first choice was Sheena; after all he did promise her that they would fight him together. Sheena's heart leapt at those words; _will you fight by my side?_ She had never felt so wanted in all her life, even Corrine was starting to like Lloyd. Kratos seemed eager to fight Kvar as well, insisting that Lloyd needed him, which suited Lloyd just fine. During the fight, Lloyd and Sheena danced a deadly weave of swords and seals. Both of them predicted each other's moves, and complemented them with their own. When Kvar was the only enemy remaining, the three quickly broke Kvar's guard, and Lloyd and Sheena took his down with a new combo that they created. Sheena focused her power seal spell onto Lloyd's sword, and Lloyd followed up with a sonic thrust through the opponent. With Kvar defeated, the group also found out about a condition that Colette was suffering from- Angel Toxicosis- and decided to search for a cure later on.

At the moment, the group was camped outside of the tower of Mana, after just releasing the seal. After breaking the seal, Lord Remiel informed the group that they should head to the tower of Salvation to release the final seal. This meant the journey was coming to an end, but the group still had some things to take care of before they could move on. A promise made to save Pietro which required some lost healing arts. The group had already found the Boltzman book which had the arts in them, but it was useless unless they had a unicorn horn.

They were all sitting around a small campfire, quietly. Colette was suffering from another case of her toxicosis, only this time she lost her voice. Lloyd was sitting between Sheena and Colette, and Genis and Raine were sitting next to each other, which Kratos on his own next to Noishe. Sheena closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, then let it out. She stood up, causing everyone to look at her.

"Guys, I have something to say." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she continued "I think I should explain to you why I was trying to assassinate the chosen" she said.

"Yes, and tell us about your homeland, one that doesn't exist in our world" Raine stated. Sheena seemed very surprised at Raine figuring out who she was, and wore a shocked expression to match her thoughts. Raine read her face and continued "after all, you did say before 'your world will be saved' and that must mean you aren't from Sylvarant"

Understanding what Raine meant Sheena continued her confession. "It's a shame your intellect is being wasted here. Yes I am not from Sylvarant; I am from a land called Tethe'alla"

"Tethe'alla" said Genis questionably "you mean the moon?"

"Of course not" she said laughing. "my world isn't on the moon" Sheena then noticed Lloyd becoming very confused at all this. "Even I don't understand the specifics. But there's another world the lies entwined with Sylvarant, like shadow and light. That's Tethe'alla, my wo..world" she stuttered on the last words, and took a moment to understand why. _Jeez, Sylvarant has been much more of a home to me in these last months than Tethe'alla has my whole life… I guess I can't help it. Everyone has been so kind to me, no one has looked at me like I was different._ Raine was thinking hard to herself, then spoke up.

"Two entwined worlds?" she asked.

"The two worlds lie directly adjacent to each other. They just can't see one another" replied Sheena. "Our scholars say they exist on shifted dimensions. Anyway, the two worlds can't see or touch each other, but they do in fact exist next to and affect each other."

"What do you mean 'affect each other'" Lloyd asked.

"They vie for the supply of mana. When one world weakens, the mana from that world flows to the other." she answered. "As a result, one world is always flourishing, and the other waning. Sort of like an hourglass."

"Wait, so right now Sylvarant is..." Genis asked, leaving out the last part of his question.

"Yeah. Sylvarant's mana is flowing to Tethe'alla. Therefore Sylvarant is in decline." Sheena said.

"I understand now." Raine said. "The chosen's world regeneration is actually the process of reversing the mana flow, am I correct?"

"Exactly" replied Sheena. "When the chosen breaks a seal, the mana flow reverses, and the summon spirit that governs the seal awakens. I was sent to prevent the world regeneration from happening. I broke through the supposedly impassable dimensional fissure for the sake of protecting Tethe'alla."

Lloyd stood up and looked Sheena directly in the eyes. He bore a look of frustration on his face, then said, "In other words, to assure the decline and destruction of Sylvarant?"

Sheena retaliated, while fighting Lloyd's gaze with her own. "You can say that" she snapped "but your world regeneration is also an attempt to destroy Tethe'alla. We're both doing the same thing."

Raine tried to break up the argument; she said, "It's hard for me to believe all of this"

"Well, if you want proof, I'm the proof." She turned her gaze to Raine, then tapped her chest, "remember, I possess summoning arts that have been lost to this world. That's our next stop anyway, I can make a pact with Undine to get to the unicorn under Lake Umacy." Colette tried to speak up, but nothing but air came out of her mouth. She looked at Sheena apologetically and plenty of sorrow. "Don't look at me like that Colette, I know that wasn't your intention. I don't know what I should do either. I came here to protect Tethe'alla, but this world is impoverished and everyone is suffering. But if I allow world regeneration to occur, then Tethe'alla with become just like this."

"But right now you're helping us right?" Genis asked.

"Yes but that doesn't mean I can just abandon Tethe'alla!" she replied. She then rubbed her forehead in frustration. "I… I don't know what to do. Isn't there any other way? A way for Sylvarant, Tethe'alla, and Colette to all be happy?" Lloyd's mood and facial expression changed after Sheena said this.

"I want to know too!" he agreed.

"Have you considered that perhaps nothing that convenient exists in the real world?" said Raine harshly.

Kratos had been awfully quiet during this whole conversation, but decided to add his input. "The best thing we can do right now is to save Sylvarant from its current crisis" he said

"What if we don't regenerate the world and just defeat the Desians?" asked Lloyd.

"Although we succeeded in destroying a ranch, we cannot possibly eliminate all the Desians." He replied. "The mana will eventually be exhausted"

"Is mana really that important?" Lloyd asked.

"I suppose only magic users and scholars worry about it." Genis replied. "but mana is even more important to life than water. Without it, the land will die. Crops won't grow and magic becomes unusable. Mana is the source material which composes everything. At least that's what I've been taught."

"Unfortunately, the giant tree of ever-flowing mana in fairy tales doesn't exist in the real world" Raine added. "We live by chipping away at the limited amount of available mana. Why do you think the ancient magitechnology was lost?"

"Because mana disappeared from the world" Sheena answered.

"Correct" Raine said. "Magitechnology consumes large amounts of mana. If things continues the way they are now, sylvarant will eventually lose its mana just as it lost its magitechnology, and be destroyed." Colette walked up next to Lloyd, then took his hand in both of hers. Sheena's insides began burning with jealousy, and her face blushed furiously. Fortunately, the darkness kept most of her embarrassment hidden. Colette began moving her fingers around in Lloyds hand, confusing Lloyd at first.

"Colette?" he asked, then noticed that she was writing letters in his hand. "R-E-M-I, ah! You're trying to spell something right? I'll…try…asking…Remiel…if…there's…a…way…to…save…the…two…worlds."

Sheena closed her eyes and spoke. "If it doesn't work out" she said slowly, "I may have to kill you after all"

"When…that…time…comes…I…may…fight…back…because…I…love…Sylvarant…too" read Lloyd.

"I understand, you intend to become an angel, no matter what, don't you?" Sheena asked. Colette let go of Lloyd's hand, then nodded at Sheena. A few moments past while everyone thought of something to say, though enough had been said about the matter.

"I think we've all heard enough." Said Raine, "let's all get some rest, we have to make it all the way to Thoda Glacier tomorrow" everyone seemed to be in agreement, then moved to their respective positions for the night.

"Lloyd" said Kratos, getting Lloyd's attention. "Why don't you take watch tonight?"

"Yeah, it's been awhile since I contributed hasn't it?"Lloyd said. Kratos nodded, and then got ready for the night. Lloyd moved himself over to where Noishe was lying down; he sat down, and leaned against Noishe's warm body. At the same time, Sheena put her head down and pulled her thin blanket over her to keep warm. She had a lot on her mind, she couldn't calm her mind very well, but she was trying.

A couple hours later, Sheena finally had enough and lifted herself up from her lying position. She couldn't sleep, not tonight. She can't choose between Sylvarant and Tethe'alla, and on top of all that, she has to make a pact tomorrow, not something she is looking forward too. Sheena looked around; she saw Genis and Raine lying next to each other deep in sleep. Then she saw Kratos all by himself, sleeping as well. Sheena also saw Colette on the other side of the fire, lying down and her eyes closed, even though she couldn't sleep, she could still try to rest her mind. Finally, Sheena looked to her right, and saw a large "dog" with a young man leaning up against it. Noishe was definitely asleep, but as for its master, he had his eyes buried in his hands. Sheena looked closer, and saw he was gently stroking his Exsphere, and it was giving off a very dim glow, enough for Sheena to see Lloyd's gentle face. It was easy to tell that he was deep in thought, but Sheena decided that he could use someone to talk to. Sheena slowly stood up, trying to be as quiet as possible, and then walked over to Lloyd. Still standing, she asked in a hushed voice, "Want some company?" Lloyd looked up and saw Sheena standing over him.

"Sheena? You're still awake?" he asked in a hushed tone she nodded. He moved himself to give Sheena some room to sit next to Noishe. Sheena sat down next to Lloyd and let her eyes wander into the ground.

"I couldn't really get to sleep" replied, still speaking in a soft voice.

"Listen Sheena, I'm really sorry about yelling at you earlier, I didn't mean for it to sound like I was blaming you" said Lloyd. His voice was very apologetic, enough for Sheena to know that he was sincere in his apology. Sheena didn't think he had anything to apologize for; anyone would have acted that way after hearing what she told them. She lifted her head and met Lloyd's comforting gaze.

"Lloyd, don't worry about that" she replied, "besides, I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did, and I'm really sorry about that."

"So we're still friends?" he asked.

"Of course" she smiled at his innocence. "Friends forgive each other right?" Lloyd smiled back and nodded.

"Are you all right Sheena?"Lloyd said changing the subject.

"umm, well, I guess I'm a bit nervous about making the pact." She replied, turning her gaze back to the ground.

"What? Why?"Lloyd asked, seeming surprised by this change in character from Sheena.

"well, how did you feel when we faced Kvar?" she asked

"I was…"he looked away before continuing, "terrified. I needed to beat him; I couldn't mess up again. "

"I sort of feel the same way" Sheena said, trying to stop Lloyd before he made himself more upset.

"Sheena I don't understand, why would you of all people be terrified?" Lloyd said,

"I just don't want…" she said before tears started rolling down her eyes, she tried to wipe them away before continuing, "I just don't want you…anyone to get hurt…again" after finishing, her eyes were completely cascading, and she was letting off a few muffled sobs. Lloyd took his arm and wrapped it around Sheena, then brought her closer to him. Sheena hugged Lloyd back without really thinking. Thinking that this was making Lloyd uncomfortable she decided to pull away to not make things weird, though before she could pull away, Lloyd wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her deeper into the hug. Sheena melted into Lloyd's chest and continued to cry, letting her all bad feelings out through her body. Lloyd remained quiet during this, he didn't want to upset her by asking why she felt this way, and Sheena was grateful for that. She couldn't drop all her problems on Lloyd so early in their relationship. After a couple of minutes, which could have easily been hours, Lloyd spoke up.

"I don't really know how pact making works" he started, "but I promise, nothing bad will happen Sheena. I'll be right by your side, just like you were when we fought Kvar. You'll be great, I know it." Sheena then looked up into Lloyd's gentle face. Her eyes were red and her face was wet from tears, it didn't bother Lloyd one bit. He just wanted to be there for his new friend.

"Thank you" she said, her crying was starting to diminish. "Thank you so much Lloyd" she hugged him one last time, then pulled herself up from his hold. Lloyd let go of her and brought his arms back down to his lap. "Umm heh, its sorta cold out tonight, could I stay by you for the night?" she asked, quite embarrassed. Her faced was really flushed at this question, and cursed herself for being so forward.

"Sure Sheena "replied Lloyd, equally embarrassed. Sheena then gently laid her head in the crook of Lloyd's neck, then nuzzled a bit to find a comfortable position. Sheena closed her eyes and drifted slowly off into sleep, leaving all worry behind her. Lloyd remained awake, so he did not disappoint Kratos and protect the chosen. Lloyd smiled at his new growing friendship with Sheena, finding that they had more in common than he had originally thought, giving him the feeling that he wasn't alone in the world. He didn't know what to think of these new feelings he had, all he knew is that it made him feel good inside, and a little fuzzy at times. Sheena was in deep sleep in no time; with her mind at ease, and a warm pillow, she was in heaven. She had never slept so well in her life.

**A/N- hey another chapter done, yay! Hope you guys enjoyed it, I sure did. If you guys are thinking that the relationship is moving too fast, don't worry, the story will address that. So I'm sorry again for the super long delay, after march 5****th**** my paper should be done and I can focus more on the story! So please be patient. Oh yeah, I started to play TOS again, I can't seem to get enough of that game. So maybe new inspirations? I don't know, its pretty late right now and stuff, off to bed with me! Good night everyone.**


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